1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to an actuating apparatus which can be arranged to provide an actuating rotation or force on demand.
2. Description of Related Art
Actuators are used in many technical fields, such as in the aerospace, energy, automotive and healthcare industries to provide an actuating force. For example, actuators are used for deployment of flight control surfaces on aircraft, the opening and closing of aerodynamic covers, hatches and doorways, control of the pitch of blades on wind turbines and tidal generators and actuators for supplying fluids etc. However, actuators typically comprise an assembly of discrete mechanical parts such as shafts, gearboxes, bearings, hinges, motors and locking mechanisms which are typically made from dense metallic components and so are heavy and require regular maintenance and inspection. Furthermore, such actuators require a drive to provide actuation such as a hydraulic actuator which typically requires complex arrangements of piping and as well as taking up often valuable space are often expensive and may suffer from problems such as leakage.
It would be desirable to provide an actuating apparatus which alleviates at least some of the problems of the prior art.